“… but grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18).
When Paul wrote these words, he was concerned for those who could be led astray or simply give up on their faith. So, he encouraged them to grow, because the way to stay standing as a disciple of Christ is to grow.
Spurgeon put it like this “The way to stand then, is to go forward; the way to be steadfast is to progress; the way to be alive, according to the apostle, is to “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ”
But there is in one sense no such thing as ‘growth in grace’. If you understand grace to be God’s undeserved favour and his unconquerable love for us, then there cannot be any growth at all! The moment we believe in Jesus, we are, by the grace of God, fully justified and complete in Christ. If we live until our hair is grey (and that’s most of us!) we will never be more justified or loved than we were the moment we first believed.
But if you read Paul’s words again, you’ll notice that he doesn’t say anything about grace growing. He tells us to ‘grow in grace’. God’s grace never increases. It is always an infinite and bottomless sea. God’s grace has no shore and as we find ourselves swimming in the middle of it, we are all called to grow.
That growth is not measured in weeks, months or years. Don’t imagine that just because you’re getting old that you’re growing in grace. Nor is it measured by feelings. Don’t assume that if you feel sad that you are not growing. God uses caves and storms and even failure to help his children grow. Most of us grow faster in the dungeon than on the mountaintop. And don’t assume you’re growing in grace because you’re busy. Often when we’re full of public activity, we can be very empty of private devotion.
Paul says Growth in grace is measured in relation to our knowledge of Christ. This is not about academic knowledge. The living bible translation puts it like this “become better acquainted with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). Paul is talking about a very intimate knowledge. Do I know Christ better today than I did yesterday? Am I closer to him, or further away? Am I more loving towards God and my neighbour as days and months pass? Are the fruit of the spirit (love, joy peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control) more, or less evident in my life? (Gal 5:22-23). Take out your spiritual tape measure sometime and see if you’re growing in grace.
– Phil.
